MJ Akbar moves Delhi High Court against Priya Ramani’s acquittal in criminal defamation case

Former union minister MJ Akbar has moved the Delhi High Court against the acquittal of journalist Priya Ramani in a criminal defamation case, Bar and Bench reported.

This comes after Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey on February 17 had acquitted Ramani in the defamation case filed by Akbar. The matter will be heard on Thursday before Justice Mukta Gupta.

Ramani had made allegations of sexual misconduct against Akbar in 2018, in the wake of the #MeToo movement in India. In response, Akbar filed a defamation suit against Ramani on October 15 that year, to which Ramani pleaded not guilty. Akbar also stepped down as union minister.

The Delhi court in its judgement had said that the defence of "truth in public interest" had been accepted, and noted that the "right to reputation cannot be protected at the cost of right to dignity". It disregarded Akbar's contention of his "stellar reputation", and accepted that Akbar "was not a man of stellar reputation".

Update on March 25

The Delhi High Court today adjourned the hearing on Akbar's petition challenging the trial court's verdict in the case. The matter will be heard on May 5.